Race heats up for Okotoks council

There will be 18 candidates for town council and two for mayor on the ballot for Okotoks in next month’s municipal election.

Current Coun. Carrie Fischer filed nomination papers on Sept. 18 to run for top seat against Mayor Bill Robertson in the Oct. 16 vote. The five remaining town councillors are all running for re-election, but they’ll have stiff competition with 13 others fighting for a seat at the table.

Incumbent Ed Sands is running for his eighth term on Okotoks council. He said his 22 years on council have been largely driven by a desire to be involved with decision-making and to help see things through.

“You develop these policies, like the sustainable Okotoks finite growth model, and I thought it was such a cool, innovative idea, I just wanted to see it through,” said Sands. “You create it and then you want to nurture it, and that keeps you running for council term after term.”

He said the next four years will be crucial for the community as future development is planned.

“I’m calling it Okotoks 3.0,” said Sands. “It’s a brave new world as we move forward with a steady growth model, however founded in sustainable principles. I think that’s exciting.”

The key is to be innovative while keeping costs low, and still managing to do good things for the community. He would like a seat at the table to ensure it happens.

For past councillor Florence Christophers, the chance to have a say in future development makes the upcoming election exciting. She took a hiatus from council to be with her family, but is looking to return to council this fall.

There are a number of upcoming projects for the town, from rewriting the municipal development plan to creating new economic development strategies, and Christophers said she’s ready to get back on council to help tackle them.

“We’ve been working on these things for years, and I think this is the term where some real traction is going to happen and I really want to be at the table to make a contribution,” she said.

Growth and economic development were hot topics at nomination day in Okotoks as candidates filed paperwork.

Downtown business owner Melody Enman said she’s excited to see the growth of the community and would like to see more done in the town’s core.

“Being a business owner downtown, watching people struggle, the whole Roger Brooks fiasco as far as I’m concerned – hundreds of thousands of dollars spent and nothing done – we’re frustrated,” said Enman.

She said she’d like to be a voice for the people of Okotoks, and a leader. It’s important for all people to be heard, and for residents to be invested in their town, she said.

Dan Onerheim said being a voice for the people is one of his top priorities. He said the Town needs a council that will listen to its residents as it moves forward.

There is a lot of decision-making on the horizon for Okotoks council, such as resolving the water issue and planning growth, and he said it’s important to move forward without focusing on the past.

“There’s a number of different issues, and I’d like to point out that what’s been done in the past by council has been done,” said Onerheim. “What we have to do is look to the future and listen to the ratepayers – not only residents, but businesses – and make decisions for the majority of them.”

Onerheim said he’d also like to focus on issues other than of development, such as improving health care and providing more for arts and culture in Okotoks.

More than anything, he said he wants to ensure any decisions made are in the residents’ best interest and all important matters are disclosed to the public.

“It’s openness and transparency, and everyone being able to see how the Town is making decisions,” said Onerheim.

Trellis Palmer, resident of 15 years, said she’s ready to take action and bring change. Having been a member of the brand leadership team, she said she’s ready to continue with the vision of the committee and get more businesses involved.

“I want to get the downtown core going more, bring some more tourism to Okotoks, bring some arts and entertainment, get the Okotoks Arts Council more acknowledged,” said Palmer.

With so many names on the ballot, she said the competition will be fierce but the rewards will make it worthwhile.

What’s most important is getting people out to the polls, said Palmer.

“I think Okotoks has a really big job on their hands to vote, and everyone needs to come out and vote,” said Palmer. “Every vote is going to count in this one, and I think the next four years is going to be amazing.”